Wearable tech sales to top 50 million by the end of the year

Another week and yet another analyst forecast predicting a huge surge in wearable technology sales - this time with Futuresource Consulting stating that total global wearable shipments will hit 52 million by the end of 2014.

"Q4 is where we're going to see all the action, with annual sales heavily weighted towards the pre-Christmas period," explained Oliver Rowntree, market analyst at Futuresource. "We're expecting 39% of this year's activity to drop into Q4, as wearable tech provides an appealing gifting option for consumers."

The new report, like the Juniper one that predicted 100 million smartwatches worldwide by 2019, also forecasts a massive growth in the hi-tech timepiece genre.

"Looking out even further, we're anticipating further acceleration in the pace of growth in 2015 as smartwatches become more widely adopted, with a 44% growth rate driving the market to 74 million units shipped next year," added Rowntree.